Post by roger32849 on Jan 15, 2014 23:48:13 GMT

I returned home after a ride to get my safety inspection sticker. There was a lot of salt on the roads to aid in melting the ice. I had to wash the Eco-Exo with some hot soapy water and wipe it clean and dry with a chamois. The inspection sticker is on my number plate and comes due May 31, 2015. From here to that date it is all fun....

Post by erik on Jan 16, 2014 17:05:44 GMT

Nice!

Have you checked the underside of the floor plate on debris? I'm very interested in this because I may reconsider to have no plate in the shock bay and bulkhead. I'd like to know how the debris was under the engine too.

Seeing your Exo finished and running makes me want to take out my tr1ke and speed up the exo build but our roads are salt white now!

Post by roger32849 on Jan 16, 2014 18:10:46 GMT

Good afternoon Erik:

What I did was take advantage of the unseasonable temperatures and washed the trike down. I blindly sprayed the undercarriage without really giving it much of a look. The same to be said of the engine underside. I will say this though, the engine upper side gets its share of gravel and sand. I suspect it is being cast off the rear tire and deposited on the engine (and muffler inner side). The front suspension and shocks gathered salt residue but not "cacked" on thick as I might have thought. When I installed the front wings I mounted them so about 2/3 of the wing is behind the mount. Wheel spray from the front was not noticed at all. It took me less than 15 minutes to wash,rinse and dry and the result was very good. I do have a cover plate on my rear shock, I am also looking at the shock sleeves on ebay for the front.

The Eco-Exo is great fun to operate. It will hold steady at 65 MPH (100KPH) when trailing behind an articulated Lorry. The cross winds and turbulence are manageable when doing this, but would not want to be stuck behind one of these monsters for any serious length of time. The power is there when you need it and there is no shortage of increased acceleration when traveling at an upward incline. I took my GPS with me to verify the accuracy of my speedometer. It is as good as it gets for a Burgman scooter. I have logged about 50 miles since the build and only had a few adjustments to make. Nothing major or serious. I am experimenting with the use of the luggage space aft of the tank cover. I will be posting photos later today.. I am using a Givi E30 series trunk.

Hurry and complete your build and head out on the road. You will be amazed at how nice it drives.

Post by roger32849 on Jan 16, 2014 18:32:30 GMT

I believe black suits the frame and yellow GRP panels. Not sure if I will attach the Givi E30 or go with a soft sided expandable bag. I believe this is as large as I need to go without running the risk of creating something that looks grossly out of proportion.

Post by roger32849 on Jan 18, 2014 22:47:53 GMT

I started making the custom mounts for the tail trunk. They are hanging in the basement drying. Fresh paint and after welding the coupling nuts for he mounting points. All they need is to be mounted on the cross bar supports of the rear cargo rack.

As you can tell In had a few tail trunks to choose from. The Red Givi E30 is a knock off made in China. The smaller black one Is a real Givi E30. It was good, but didn't offer much space inside. The one I settled on was not only the least expensive it was also the best looking. The Twisted Throttle had them on sale. For anyone interested, the brand is Coocase S-50. It is quite sturdy and so far easy to install onto the mount platform. Installation photos will be posted when it is completely done.

Post by roger32849 on Jan 19, 2014 20:22:31 GMT

I thought I would show how I mounted the tail trunk. I used 4 "J" hooks with 1/4-20 thread and simply welded some coupling nuts to a 1" X 6" piece of flat stock. After I did this, I laid another piece of flat stock 1" X 7-1/2" with drilled holes that aligned with the coupling nuts. This will distribute the load along a longer axis of the trunk mount assembly. I drilled and tapped another set of holes to further secure the trunk adapter and to also aid in keeping the load spread out along the bar stock.

The trunk clears the back of the tank cover by about 1 inch and there is ample room to fully open the lid without any interference from the rear cover on the Eco-Exo. I like the way the trunk has a positive latch when it secures to the mount as well as when the lid closes. Now I have a place to store my "STUFF" and the documents I need if required by any law enforcement agency. It is likely I will be stopped for them to check if I am Legally on the road.

I believe it looks pretty good. It is a bit large, but then again, it isn't like I cannot remove it. I used some heat shrink tube around the "J" hooks and some double sided thick mounting tape as an insulator between the flat stock and the cross bars on the space to the rear of the Tank Cover. Hey, Rain gear, jacket, Lunch, change of clothes and the tool pouch will all fit, plus my helmet....

Post by erik on Jan 19, 2014 21:28:33 GMT

Hehe, the coupling nuts are too familiar to me Great construction in simplicity. Need to get more of them.

i have been looking at twistedthrottle site this evening and the s50 is very interesting. They even have primered top covers to paint it matching the vehicle! I may order these for me too and do a shameless copy. BUT... I have been searching for an option to get some storage space in my tr1ke and now I see an opening thx to you placing a top case in front of the passenger seat gives some space I am very in need for. I just placed my helmet in front of the kreidler seat and noticed I have free leg movement. I may be looking for narrow moped top case. I might be able to use these in the tR1ke as well for both the pasenger and driver's side. Good thing is these cases have large roundings thus free from possible cause of injuries.

Post by roger32849 on Jan 20, 2014 1:39:37 GMT

Erik

Copy until your hearts content. The reason we all do this is to share our experiences with others. It would be a shame to put all of this information out there and no one use it. I can tell you the Coocase S-50 is a very solid unit. The Twisted Throttle store is only about 100K from me. I was able to see what they had and to do a side by side comparison with other manufacturers. This case isn't small, but it lends itself nicely to the contours and shape of the Eco-Exo.

The space I have in front of my seat is reserved for a small duffle or similar soft luggage piece. Remember when you get into the seat, that space becomes a place to support yourself as you enter and leave the drivers seat. I watched a few youtube videos on the Kreidler Karts. I saw one that was all decked out with luggage racks, both on the front and rear. The rear rack set up interested me a great deal. If a person really needed to haul some equipment/luggage, a rack around the rear tank cover might be worth designing.

My good thought would be, buy a case that can fit on the rear luggage rack large enough for your purpose, then use soft luggage for inside the passenger and/or drivers compartment. I am happy with the Coocase S-50.

Post by erik on Jan 21, 2014 21:24:02 GMT

I never reconsidered to ad a case intil you showed me some and I'm still not sure if i will be in need for one. the Kreideler seat is low enough to carry a backpack on me but I may have to be in need to add somebrackets to the floor or rack just in case. The S50 has a great discount but not sure if i really need it...I haven't planned a holiday with the trikes either but it sounds like fun!